Chainsaw Maid

This is the best claymation I have ever seen.

Stelvio Cipriani

I can never decide who is my favorite film composer, but he is definitely Italian. One moment it's Piccioni, the next it's Micalizzi, and some days it's Stelvio Cipriani.

Cipriani started, like many of the greats, with soundtracks to spaghetti westerns, but really made his mark with his amazing scores to some great poliziotteschis like Mark Il Poliziotto,

his scores to horror films like Incubo,

his scores for giallos like La Morte Cammina Con I Tacchi Alti,

and his scores for more sensual fare like Femina Ridens.

If you have not heard these scores you are missing some truly groovy music. Enjoy!

The Origin Story, or how Vampyros Lesbos changed my life forever

It seems that every film franchise, or book series eventually gets around to doing the origin story. How so-and-so met, how this rag-tag bunch all came together, you get the picture. Well this is the tell-all, pull no punches, down and dirty, (fill in your own cliche) story of how I became a soundtrack freak.

Very simply, I was at a friends house scanning his CD's (if I'm ever at your house, I will likely spend the whole evening poring over your books and music) when I happened upon an interesting CD called Vampyros Lesbos Sexadelic Dance Party (?!?!) released by a German label called Crippled Dick Hot Wax(?!?!).

Asking my friend about said CD, he said I should borrow it, that it was 'pretty cool'.

Intrigued I took the CD home and put it on that night. CRASH! BANG! BOOM! and my world was changed forever. "Pretty good" did absolutely nothing to sum up this music, but sexadelic dance party said it all.

Of course from this point onward I had to see the movie, get more music like this, on and on in a never-ending cycle, because when it comes to books, music, and movies I'm compulsive like that. I'm still, about 12 years later, trying to get more.

Turns out the CD is actually music from 3 movies directed by Franco, all starring the lovely Soledad Miranda. They are Vampyros Lesbos, She Killed in Ecstacy, and The Devil Came From Akasava. I have still not seen the third on this list.

The music is from collaborators Manfred Hubler and Siegfried Schwab, who recorded the music under the moniker Vampires Sound Incorporated. I have searched high and low for other music from these two, but have only succeeded in finding some German jazz comps that feature one or the other, never both together. Oh well, the legacy they left is priceless.

If you've never heard it you are in for a treat:

Books I read May 2010

Based on the stories of Thomas Ligotti-The Nightmare Factory

Thomas Ligotti is a writer who I have just recently become aware of. Based on what I've read of his writing, it sounds like stuff I would love. Problem is his books are not easy to find, or inexpensive. Then I found this graphic collection of adaptations of some of his stories. This particular collection was not very impressive, but I want to read the stories as they were originally written, not in these severely altered and edited editions.
Brian K. Vaughn-Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition 3

Excellent ongoing graphic novel about the last man on earth. No, not The Omega Man. The catch here is that females survived the catastrophe. Vol. 3 continues the excellent story with outstanding artwork by Pia Guerra. Looking forward to Vol. 4 in October.
James M. Cain-Double Indemnity

Cain's classic noir, which was made into the classic film with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, is a taut and concise thriller of pre-meditated murder which explores the depths of greed and lustful abandon.
Dan Simmons-A Winter Haunting

I keep reading Dan Simmons though none of his novels, and I've read a lot, has ever blown me away. I guess they are kind of a guilty pleasure. Easy to read and ultimately entertaining. A Winter Haunting is no different. Here Simmons brings back a character from his earlier novel Summer of Night, to the place where many of his personal demons still exist. A well-written, sometimes overly-detailed piece of fiction that, once again, entertains, but not much more.
Horace Walpole- The Castle of Otranto

Seminal, yet slim, piece of gothic fiction fails to ignite the flames like so many of the later works which it influenced. Try Lewis' The Monk, Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer, the works of le Fanu or Radcliffe for a more satisfying gothic read.
Philip K. Dick-A Maze of Death

Another excellent mindfuck from Dick. Even his shitty novels are fun, and this one isn't shitty.
Ross MacDonald-The Ferguson Affair

Easily the best non-Lew Archer book I've read by MacDonald, which makes sense considering this one was written much later than his other non-Archer books. In fact the Archer novels were in full swing when this was written and could easily have been improved by replacing the less-engaging main character, an attorney, with Lew.

Arturo Perez-Reverte-The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet

Reverte, Spain's foremost literary export, delivers in the fifth of the Captain Alatriste series. Another fine swashbuckling affair. Though Reverte often becomes bogged down in his narrator's lament on the condition of his mighty, beloved Spain of the 17th Century, these books are pure fun.

Anton Chekhov-Shadows and Light

It is a marvel at how few pages Chekhov needs to express the woe and misery of peasant life, or the beauty and majesty of Russia itself. These nine stories are no exception. An excellent selection that would serve well as an introduction to Chekhov, or a pleasure to the seasoned Chekhov reader like myself.

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky-Tale of the Troika

In April I re-read Roadside Picnic. At the beginning of May I read the other story in this volume Tale of the Troika for the first time. The Strugatsky's absurdist look at stratified Soviet society is both humorous and subversive. It's hard to comprehend how their stories escaped the Soviet censors. Another brilliant story by the Strugatsky's.

Marvin Gaye Trouble Man

I've seen loads of Blaxploitation movies. It is one of my favorite film genres, and by and large they are entertaining films. What I find even more entertaining than the films themselves are their soundtracks. These movies have some of the funkiest and grooviest tunes ever laid down for film. In many cases the soundtracks are the only redeeming element the film has to offer.

In the blink of an eye, any film lover, or music enthusiast, can rattle off a handful of essential titles whose soundtracks have transcended the film, and have become a powerful entity in and of themselves. These names would include Mayfield, Hayes, and, Ayers. This leads me to Trouble Man.

I must say I've never seen Trouble Man, another example of the music being more accessible than the film, but I'm here to write about the music. Specifically to lament that Marvin Gaye's score for the film is not more often mentioned in the same breath as those mentioned above. This score is fantastic. Gaye provides a soulful, laid-back, but funkified listening experience that should be in all soundtrack lover's collections.

Open your ears:

Blast from my past #2

A young and vital New Order playing perhaps their greatest song live from 1981.

Where the hell is this soundtrack!?

As a lover of Italian cinema and Italian soundtracks I have been scratching my head for about six years now, since Blue Underground first released this film on DVD, wondering where the hell is the official release of this soundtrack. To the best of my knowledge there has never been one, and this is a travesty. Fulci directed Contraband (aka The Smuggler) in 1980 and it stars one of the biggest heroes of Italian cinema Fabio Testi. Now the film itself, aside from a load of graphic violence and nudity, is nothing to write home about, but the soundtrack certainly is. Scored by longtime Fulci collaborator, the legendary Fabio Frizzi, creator of the amazing soundtracks (see my earlier post) for The Beyond, City of the Walking Dead, and Zombi 2, this particular score is puzzlingly missing an official release.

You would think that with the number of people who are longtime fans, and the fact that more and more people are discovering these films and their music, that someone would issue the complete score. Wouldn't you?

Oh well, here's couple gems from the score courtesy of Youtube. The second track is featured during the ubiquitous disco scene. Groovy!

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

Needless to say, everytime there is going to be a new Terry Gilliam film I am thrilled. Problem is he hasn't made a good movie in ages, and then there's the Quixote debacle, which I truly hope gets resurrected. But when you've made shit as good as Time Bandits and Brazil, you earn a lot of leeway from me.

That being said what you get in Dr. Parnassus is a whole bunch of cool bits that remind you how good Gilliam can be. What you don't get, however, is an engaging story and engaging performances. Well, Christopher Plummer seems invested, and you can't really fault Tom Waits, who wasn't that bad, but the rest are taking a back seat to Gilliam's fervent imagination, which is on display unlike any recent film of his since Munchausen.

I'm not giving Parnassus a bad review, in my opinion it is far better than Tideland or Brothers Grimm, it's just that at the end of the film I wish Gilliam had spent as much time writing a truly captivating story as he did dreaming up the Imaginarium.

Alan Hawkshaw

There is no more revered name in the world of library, or production, music than that of Alan Hawkshaw. Hawkshaw played with a number of luminaries in his time; The Shadows, David Bowie, Serge Gainsbourg, et al, but it was through his work recording original music for production libraries that his mark was made. Working, for the most part, with KPM, Hawkshaw recording some absolutely essential tunes.

Whether solo, as the founding members of The Mohawks, or with other KPM all-stars (Brian Bennett and Alan Parker come to mind), Hawkshaw's music was at times groovy, funky, and laid-back. Sometimes all at once.

RPM records has released a superb collection of his tunes.

You can also find his work on many library compilations.

Here's a couple favorites:

Books I read April 2010

The Strugatsky's masterwork and one of my favorite books of all time. This, my 2nd read, was just as amazing, if not more so, than the first. Similarly, I re-read Stanislaw Lem's outstanding essay About the Strugatsky Brother's Roadside Picnic upon completion. Very insightful. I am anxious to start Tale of the Troika.
This early MacDonald mystery pre-dates his Lew Archer mysteries, and since I enjoyed all of those so much, I am endeavoring to read all his non-Archer work. So far I have now read all but two of these and I must say they all fall quite short of the standard he set in the Archer novels. Oh well, two more to go.
Hill's second novel Horns starts off quite well. The first 70 pages or so really got me excited about the main character's transformation. Hill then splits the rest of the novel between back story and the plot thread he wove from the beginning. I like Hill. I liked his first novel, Heart-Shaped Box, I read the hardcover graphic novels for his series Locke & Key, and I really liked his collection of short fiction 20th Century Ghosts. Unfortunately, the remainder of Horns couldn't keep up with the interest he generated in the 1st 70 pages or so. I wasn't bad, it just went downhill after a spectacular start. I'll continue to read Joe's fiction.
What can you say but GENIUS!
I love 19th century fiction and I love the novels of Alexandre Dumas. I have long lamented the dearth of his writings that were available in easily accessible, quality translations. Well over the last few years we have seen a few nice additions to Dumas' available canon. I read the Knight of Maison Rouge a couple years ago and was thrilled to see Modern Library also release Georges, the release of the previously lost The Last Cavalier, and Penguin's release and new translation of Dumas' The Women's War. There is not much to say. If you are a fan, you will love it. It has all the hallmarks of classic Dumas. Swashbuckling, double-crosses, romance, clever interplay of the characters, and, of course, all loosely based around actual events from French history.

Each and every time I read a new book by brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky I marvel at how easily they are able to put the reader into a completely foriegn environment. Definitely Maybe is a stellar allegorical tale, deftly and economically told, about the suppression of the individual in Soviet society. Simply remarkable. If you are a fan of challenging, thought-provoking fiction, you need to check out the Strugatsky's.

Gert Wilden

Gert Wilden composed loads of groovy music for German films. From the 1950's through the 1970's Wilden left his swinging mark on countless film scores. He scored for action, comedy, but most notably, for a series of sex romps called The Schoolgirl Report.

Crippled Dick Hot Wax has released a couple excellent compilations of his work.

Ennio Morricone La Donna Invisible

There is so much to love about the music of Ennio Morricone.There is such a rich and diverse tapestry of swingin and sensual tunes from a seemingly bottomless pit of scores. His score to La Donna Invisible is one of my faves. Most of this soundtrack stays on the mellow side of things with some upbeat pop-influenced numbers. My favorite track is easily Rittrato d'autore. Check it out:

In memorium Alex Chilton

I was shocked to hear of the death of Alex Chilton tonight. I don't know how this got past me. Chilton, of course, fronted Big Star, one of the most under-appreciated bands of all time. Apparently his death came just days before Big Star was to perform at the SXSW music fest.

Obsession Various Artists

If you can find it, this collection of rare psych recordings from around the world is a precious treasure. Collecting artists from Turkey to Peru, Obsession is a rollicking pleasure from beginning to end. Quarteto Nova Era’s ‘De Repente’ and ‘Murituri’ by Arnaud Rodrigues are as good as anything recorded by Os Mutantes. The wah-licking ‘Osman Pehlivan’ by Arif Sag and ‘Hor Gorme Garibi’ by Erkin Koray kick out the Turkish jams motherfucker! Finally, Jean Paul “El Troglodita’s” ‘Everything is Gonna Change’ takes us ever higher with its horn-infused psych-funk freak out. Definitely out there! For adventurous music fans.

Hows about a listen

Charles Earland Dynamite Brothers

A great soundtrack to an obscure 70’s kung fu blaxploitation flick. I can hardly think of anything better than a platter of tasty B-3 grooves artfully layered over a fat n funky bass with a soulful smattering of horns. Just close your eyes and you can see the car chases, the flying roundhouses, the squalid ghetto, the pimps in their finery, and those afro-heavy babes in their halter tops and bellbottoms.

Get your groove on with: Betty’s Theme, Shanty Blues, Kungfusion, and the silky smooth Incense of Essence. Right on Soul Brother!

Chris Bell

When I think of the public adoration heaped upon mainstream “artists” the likes of Avril Lavigne, or Ashley Simpson, or Justin Timberlake, it sickens me that artists possessed of a true pop genius, Chris Bell for instance, remain virtually forgotten.

Bell’s posthumous release I am the Cosmos collects tracks recorded in the years between his departure from Big Star and his tragic, untimely death in 1978.

These songs are powerful and sweet, highly reminiscent of Big Star's #1 Record. Top tracks include the title track, the plaintive Speed of Sound, and the delicate pop of You and Your Sister.

Luciano Ercoli

I recently watched Ercoli's Death films. Both are above average giallos, but what really allows these two particular films to stand out are the superb scores by Stelvio Cipriani and Gianni Ferrio. In fact Ferrio's score for La Morte Accarezza a Mezzanotte is one of my all time favorite soundtracks. Judge for yourselves:

Bronson

I watched Bronson last night. Holy shit what a great movie. The hitherto unknown to me Tom Hardy turns in a star-making performance, ala Russell Crowe in Romper Stomper or Eric Bana in Chopper, playing Michael Peterson aka Charles Bronson, England's most violent criminal. Take away the super-stylized direction and you are still left with Hardy's amazing performance. Eye opening.

Check out the trailer:

Hayes, Parks, and the Bar-Kays

A groovy behind the scenes look at the making of a soundtrack classic

Franco Micalizzi

Franco Micalizzi created some of the best soundtrack music. Here he conducts a live orchestra through his amazing La Banda del Gobbo.